Do you have start stop system turned off?
- Thread starter Lither
- Start date
Man of Honour
I bought a 2017 Ford B-Max Zetec Navigator 1L petrol back in September which has it and I was dubious about it at first but gave it a chance to see how it worked. It only shuts the engine down if I come to a stop, apply the handbrake and take the car out of gear and even then only if the the heater/air con isn't set to maximum. I think it's only happened twice so far so have left it on. Engine restart is instantaneous on dipping the clutch to engage gear so there is nothing to lose by leaving it on.
Associate
On my last car I disabled it on the ECU as the battery was on its way out and I didn't trust it to start back up.
Now I turn it off manually most of the time because it rarely goes off for long enough to save any fuel.
Good video on the subject here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFImHhNwbJo
Now I turn it off manually most of the time because it rarely goes off for long enough to save any fuel.
Good video on the subject here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFImHhNwbJo
Yes, that's the other point additional stress on the more expensive AGM battery - are these batteries typically lasting as long as their conventional prdedecessors ?
(but they're covered under the warranty of course),
plus, a beefed up starter&mechanism, another failure point ... all for a few grams of CO2dollars more
(but they're covered under the warranty of course),
plus, a beefed up starter&mechanism, another failure point ... all for a few grams of CO2
As annoying as the system is I just leave it switched on.
From my experience, the car in front pulls away 5 inches then stops, repeat times x. So in a traffic queue the engine might stop & start many times and each time you only move forward a very short distance. The engine might as well just stay on.
Soldato
Used to leave it on in my last two cars (A5s) but the first thing I do after starting up my CLS or the Mrs' A Class is turn it off. Horrid thing
May be a Merc thing - i hate their SatNav too, but that's another thread
May be a Merc thing - i hate their SatNav too, but that's another thread
Soldato
Yes...? Also contrary to popular belief roundabouts do exist in the USA, they just prefer to use all way stops for some reason.
I have no issue with start/stop systems, having the engine turned off when sat still makes perfect sense to me.
I have two cars with AEB and neither have ever done that, sounds like more Nasher nonsense.
Yeah, it's intelligent enough to stop activating in these situations.
Man of Honour
Mine doesn't kick in again unless you've gone over 10mph(?) since it last activated so unless you're living your life quarter mile at a time when the car in front moves you're safe.
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Iirc he last had a 5 series which does exactly that so not sure what he is on about.
No issues with it on my Golf, if I see the trafic ahead is about to move just before I stop I just hold the clutch in for a second. I find the AC/CC stays cools for a minute or so after and if its idle that long with engine off (2-3 mins) it comes back on which I think it due to the cooling needed in the cabin to match the CC temp setting.
I think the 2 cylinder mode is the best feature related to saving fuel though on mine
I think the 2 cylinder mode is the best feature related to saving fuel though on mine
Auto stop/start is only there to help the manufacturers pass emissions tests. It's not there to actually reduce emissions in real world situations and certainly not there to help the average person. Indeed it is likely to cause more wear long term on the engine, resulting in more maintenance.
It makes sitting at the lights a wonderfully silent affair.
Soldato
Well it reduces CO2 output on the test, which means less fuel use. Quite simple.
...which then becomes jarring when the engine has to restart.
On the test.
Are you saying that reducing the amount of fuel used in a test scenario is not applicable to real world driving?
If so, could you expand on why? I could understand if you were talking about efficiency testing, because there's so many variables to consider and/or manipulate to determine efficiency whilst on the move, so there's elements of that testing which might not apply in Real Life (TM).
But we're talking about when the car is at a standstill. Surely there is no way that turning the engine off during this time can do anything other than reduce fuel usage, whether for a test or for the end user (obviously accounting for idling time fuel use vs fuel use starting the engine).
Man of Honour
WLTP Testing uses real world drive cycles
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worldwide_Harmonised_Light_Vehicles_Test_Procedure#WLTC_driving_cycles
Are you suggesting that having the engine off uses more fuel?
Not at all. I'm suggesting that in the real world there might be increased fuel consumption due to the constant engine restarting. The test also doesn't look at what happens a few years later when the engine is older and worn. Where are the long term studies over the lifetime of the vehicle on emissions of fuel and (possible) additional maintenance?
We shouldn't just assume that because a car was tested in a relatively controlled way before it is sold, that it represents the real world over 10 or 15 years.
Happy to be corrected of there are some reliable lifetime studies which have been done.